ISLAMABAD: Opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) on Thursday pitched the Constitution Room in parliament as the venue for a potential meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai.
“If the prime minister comes to the opposition chamber, we will take him to the Constitution Room,” TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain told Geo News.
According to the spokesperson, the opposition has proposed holding final negotiations in the Constitution Room, with the prime minister invited to visit the opposition chamber.
His remarks come days after PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah urged the opposition to set aside its other demands and sit down with the government to discuss counterterrorism.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is ready to invite all stakeholders to discuss this [terrorism],” he said while speaking during a Senate session on Tuesday.
Sanaullah previously rejected Achakzai’s demand for a neutral venue to meet PM Shehbaz, insisting that talks must take place at the PM House.
“Prime Minister House is not anyone’s personal property; it belongs to the state,” he had said.
Meanwhile, the TTAP spokesperson said that negotiations should not be obstructed by ego or stubbornness, adding that Achakzai had also suggested meeting at the residence of Sanaullah or Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
Hussain said that the NA opposition leader had invited the prime minister to his chamber for coffee, adding the opposition had also expressed willingness to visit the PM House after meeting the premier.
Achakzai had snubbed the previous negotiations between the government and opposition at the NA speaker’s chamber, saying he would participate if the negotiations were held at a neutral location.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) then reconstituted its delegation for the talks, which ultimately failed to produce an agreement.
Following the collapse of the talks, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government imposed governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on October 11.
The federal government cited the province’s deteriorating security situation and concerns over counterterrorism efforts.
The Imran Khan-founded PTI, which has ruled the province since 2013, has since challenged the measure in the courts.
